Running From the Law

Ultra Lawyers Who Have Left the Practice for the Trail

When I heard that three lawyer/ultrarunner friends of mine had all quit their law jobs to fully pursue their running endeavors, I wondered if it was some sort of epidemic. It hit me somewhat more severely than most because I’m a “full time” lawyer who is often asked if I still practice. Lawyers often lack balance and the burn-out rate is extremely high. I’d venture to guess that less than half of my graduating law school class still practices, just over twenty years into the profession.

Fortunately, I work in a very tolerant law firm in Boulder, Colorado, Hutchinson, Black and Cook, hbcboulder.com, and it allows me a lot of flexibility, as long as my clients are happy. When I’m in town I normally get in a morning run and start work a little after 8am, but I stay past 9pm with a long break for a second run or to hit the gym in the afternoon. During my time in the office I am often tied up with running-related projects so I am lucky to bill a third or half my time in the office. I also feel good about my practice, representing businesses against taxing authorities, mostly at the state and local level. It is intellectually engaging and I sleep well at night, in part due to the hours of training.

It is all about maintaining balance but that isn’t always easy to find when most standard law jobs require 50-70-hour work weeks and the pressure is extreme. Like many professions, being a lawyer doesn’t just define your work, it defines your person. And it can and will suck the life out of those who let it.

That is why I applaud the moves on the part of Adam Campbell, Matt Flaherty, and Mike Wolfe. All are stand-out ultrarunners who were just starting out in their legal careers and, within weeks of one another, jumped ship to go for it as runners. You don’t get many chances in life unless you take them and these guys followed their hearts and, fortunately for us, were willing to share their thinking that lead to their respective decisions. I also asked my friend Bryon Powell to weigh in on the subject. Bryon just celebrated his third year away from practicing law, having left it to engage in his web site, iRunFar.com, full-time.

This four-part series features the answers to each of these lawyer refugees: